Democrat Max Rose Eyeing Comeback In NYC’s Only Conservative Congressional District

Former Rep. Max Rose (D) (Image: US Congress)

Former United States Rep. Max Rose (D-New York) announced that he will challenge incumbent Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-New York) in next year’s midterm election, setting up an ideological showdown in a rare conservative New York City congressional district that includes the southwestern tip of Brooklyn as well as all of Staten Island, the southernmost of the Big Apple’s five boroughs.

“I’m running for Congress in NY11 because I can’t sit by while Republicans tear us apart just to hold onto power. The America we believe in is possible – one that is safe, affordable and fair. All we need are leaders willing to risk it all to fight for it,” Rose tweeted along with a campaign video in which he excoriated Republicans over their embrace of the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

“The alarm bells, they never stop ringing, and the people we trust to fix it, they divide us, they lie to us, tearing America apart, just to hold on to power. You look at all that and it’s easy to think that maybe our best days are behind us, that nothing will change. Well, I disagree,” Rose said.

“I’m running because this country, it can be affordable and fair,” he added. “Our politics can lift us up, rather than tear us down. The America we believe in is possible.”

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Rose had previously served one term in the House of Representatives from 2019-2021, having defeated then-GOP Rep. Dan Donovan in the 2018 midterms.

Meanwhile, Malliotakis, the only Republican currently representing New York City in Congress, voted in favor of passing President Joe Biden‘s bipartisan infrastructure bill last month. But she also voted against certifying Biden’s 2020 victory in the Electoral College, thus earning her the support of former President Donald Trump.